Countepoint
by Anne T.M
Summary: What happens when Chakotay finds out about the kiss? What happens then when the tables are turned?


Chapter One ****

Disclaimer: Paramount owns it all. Yeah, yeah we know but they lost interest years ago.

This story is set immediately after Counterpoint. What would happen when Chakotay found out about the kiss between Kathryn and Kashyk? What would happen if the tables were turned? Rated PG-13 or maybe R for innuendo.

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Chapter 1

It had been two days since they had left Devoren space. After forty-eight hours Captain Janeway allowed herself to believe that they were safe from Kashyk and his patrols. It had been very risky transporting the telepaths but in the end it had worked out well. She wasn't sure how it all came together but it did. It was time to put it behind them and once again move forward toward the Alpha quadrant. She also knew she needed to move forward with Chakotay. He had been out of sorts since the first time they were boarded for inspection. He got down right surly once Kashyk sought asylum on the ship. She needed to do some damage control. She felt like their relationship was fragile and that she needed to make an effort to repair it.

"Captain Janeway to Commander Chakotay"

"Chakotay here." She could tell by the sound of his voice that things were not right between them.

"I'd like to see you in my ready room."

"Fine"

Not "I'm on my way" or "I'll be right there" simply a cold hard "fine!" She had a lot of work to do.

He entered a second later and stopped two steps inside the doorframe. When she looked up the first thing she noticed was the dark circles under his eyes. He looked exhausted. Maybe dinner wasn't such a good idea. She also noticed that he stood with his hands cupped in front of him with his back rigid. If he were any stiffer he would be dead she thought.

Calling her out of her thoughts he said, "Captain you wanted to see me."

"Yes. I was wondering if you would like to have dinner with me tonight?" Why was her voice shaking? She had asked him to dinner many times before and she never felt nervous. Why now? He didn't answer immediately so she added, "I can see you are tired if you want a rain check that is fine."

He desperately wanted to be strong enough to say no but he knew he couldn't. He had missed her. It had been weeks since he had a good night's sleep. He lay in his bed wondering what she was doing with Kashyk. The jealousy burned inside him. Did she know what that did to him? He was unsure as to how the situation had played out between the two of them. He felt that they were getting close yet in the end Kayshek's plans had all be a rouse and the captain had known it. She knew he would betray them all and was ready for it. She did not seem angry or hurt by the betrayal. Maybe this was all in his head. Was this her olive branch, dinner? 

"I'm not too tired, thank you. Yes, I'll join you for dinner."

"My quarters 1900 hours."

"Fine"

He said it again. Why did that word annoy her? It was just so curt, so cold. Not for the first time she wished she understood him better. Why was she suddenly at arms length? Why did it feel like their friendship was in jeopardy? She looked at him as he turned to leave. Unwilling to let him leave on that abrupt note she called out his name. "Chakotay." It came out weakly almost a whisper. He stopped and turned to face her desk. Wanting desperately to regain some of the closeness they had shared she stood up and walked around her desk to where he stood. She was trembling with the need to touch him. She placed her right hand on his arm. "Thank you. It's a date."

****

Chapter 2

They walked out together. As usual Tom immediately assessed the mood of the command team. Chakotay was still as stiff as a board. He had been mad for weeks. When they weren't being inspected by the Devorens Chakotay was running everyone ragged with simulations. Why didn't he just admit that he was jealous rather than killing everyone else on the ship? For her part the Captain sat their seemingly oblivious to the whole thing. She had spent weeks held up in her ready room with Kashyk trying to pinpoint the location of the wormhole. She seemed to be the only one not bothered by that fact. No one who met the man could believe that the Captain trusted him. He reminded him of snake oil. He was a charmer all right but so was every other successful con man. Tom could read him a mile away. He tried to tell her once but the Captain had very plainly told him to mind his own business. Tom thought she was infatuated with the man. Why she was even looking was beyond him. He knew the man who truly loved her was sitting not two meters away from her but she stubbornly refused to see it. So that left everyone on edge. The Captain had been occupied with that slimy alien and Chakotay had been seething. Tensions were running very high on the bridge.

"Mr. Paris, what's our heading?" Chakotay called.

The Captain turned to look at him. He knew the heading. Why was he asking?

Tom knew why he was asking. Tom had been looking at them both a little too long. Chakotay was reminding him of his place. Sometimes he thought the man might be an empath himself. No he couldn't be or Kashyk would have had him killed. That thought brought a very small smile to his lips.

"Do you find this humorous Mr. Paris?"

"No sir."

Before he could go on with his dithering explanation the doctor called the bridge asking for his assistance.

He jumped up and replied, "on my way." He practically ran to the turbolift. Saved by the Doc he thought.

Chakotay stared a hole in his back as he left. If he could have he would have liked to punch him right in the face.

Janeway saw the tension in her first officer's body. She really did not understand the last exchange. She had been away from the bridge a lot these last few weeks maybe there were some things she had to catch upon. She would find out tonight.

She leaned over and whispered to Chakotay. "There is only a half hour left to the shift. Why don't you knock off early? Maybe catch a nap before dinner."

He wanted to argue but he knew she was right. He was in no mood to be on bridge. He needed to go to the holodeck and beat the heck out of a punching bag.

"Okay."

She looked at him and caught his eye. "See you later?"

"1900 hours."

****

Chapter 3

She decided on a dress. As she looked in her closet for something to wear. She wished she could replicate something brand new but she couldn't afford the rations. Finally she put on the light blue summer dress. It dawned on her that she was taking an inordinate amount of time getting ready. For reasons she couldn't identify she felt the need to please him tonight. That is why she chose this dress. It was his favorite. She wasn't trying to tease him she wanted him to be happy because he had been so sullen lately. After combing her hair over and over she finally admitted to being ready.

She went into the living area. The table was set. The candles were lit. The wine was chilling. Everything was ready. Now all she needed was Chakotay. Looking at the chronometer she realized it was 1930 hours. He was late. He was never late. Maybe he wasn't coming. Just as she started to pace the door chime sounded.

"Come in Chakotay."

The door opened and her first officer entered. Even though the lights were dimmed he still looked tired. Tired but handsome. He wore a pair of black pants and light blue mock turtleneck shirt. The shirt was similar to the tee shirts that were worn underneath their uniform jackets. Short sleeves and form fitting. Yes definitely handsome. Breaking the silence she joked, "Blue must be the color of choice." Finally he smiled. It had been too long since he had shown her his smile. She walked toward the table. He eyed it curiously. Candle light, wine, and his favorite dress he wondered what she had planned for the evening. She poured him a glass of wine and walked over to join him on the couch. They had played this scene out many times but this time they were both nervous. Both of them knew that their relationship, however you wished to define it, was strained. She handed him the wine. Without thinking he put out his right hand to grab it and she saw the cuts.

"Chakotay, what happened?" She sat close to him and placed the wine on the table. She took his hand gently into hers to look closely at his knuckles. "Computer raise lights to 100%." As she looked he heard her gasp. She looked him in the eye. "What happened?"

"Nothing serious. I got a little carried away in the holodeck." That was not enough. She stared at him with that looked that would make a conspirator rat out his superiors. "I was boxing."

"I thought you were going to take a nap." She grabbed his other hand. It too was covered with cuts. Some of them were still opened and covered with tiny bits of fresh blood.

"You said that, not me. I needed to get rid of some of the tension I was feeling. I needed to go boxing."

"How did your hands get cut? You wear gloves when you box."

"Actually I took them off." How could he tell her that he needed to feel the hitting? The boxing gloves got in the way. He thought that the pain of his hand hitting someone would quell the anger in his soul. He was wrong of course.

"Wouldn't a vision quest have been safer."

"Safer but not as satisfying," smiling as he answered.

"It's good to see you smile. It has been a long time."

"I know." He looked down at his hands in hers. She probably didn't realize that she was still holding his hands. But she did. She was looking at the same thing. She needed his warmth. Something had come between them and she needed to find out what and somehow make it right. Reluctantly she realized that the ship was not the same when they were out of sink. More importantly she knew that she was not the same either. They both could feel the tension mounting. They both looked up at the same moment eyes questioning each other. 

****

Chapter 4

She broke the contact first and got up and went to the bathroom. She came out with a bottle of liquid and some clean cloths. 

"Kathryn, what do you think that are you doing?" He asked as he jumped up from the couch.

"Sit down you baby. I am going to clean your wounds. Unless of course you would rather go see the doctor." The last remark hit the target and he sat back down."

"Don't you have a dermal regenerator?"

"Of course I do Chakotay but who knows what was on the punching bag. Your hands could get infected. Then you would have to explain to the doctor why he didn't know about this injury."

He didn't want to tell her that his hands could not get infected because he was punching a holographic image of Kashyk not a punching bag. He sat back and closed his eyes and let her tend to him. It could almost be considered romantic if you thought about it. A warrior has a fight out of jealousy. His queen takes the time to gently care for his wounds. He began to smile, his head leaning on the back of the couch, his mind lost in his imagination. His eyes flew open. "Ouch! Spirits Kathryn that hurts. What is it?"

"Rubbing alcohol. Give me your hand I am almost done."

So much for romantic he thought.

Trying to keep his mind busy Kathryn tried to make small talk. "I'm glad we are finally out of Devoren space." He flinched again. "Sorry I didn't think that would hurt." She didn't know that the flinch was due to the subject matter not his hand.

"Yes, I am glad we have left their god forsaken place. It brought nothing but trouble."

"Yes, a lot of trouble. But we did save those people and that was something good." She had finished cleaning the wounds and was now caressing his hand with feather like touches as she spoke.

Once again he leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He knew he should not give in to the feelings because he would only need to go boxing again later but for now her touch was all that mattered. "Yes that was something good but it was a lot of trouble." This was the discussion he had wanted for weeks. He wanted to tell her how much he wanted to beat Kashyk to a pulp. How he begrudged ever minute she spent with him. How he thought she was falling in love with him and how that had killed him. Then she turned his hand over and ran her finger across his wrist. His pulse quickened. Trying to concentrate he attempted to keep the conversation on track. "I have been meaning to ask you."

She was lost in what she was doing and barely heard him. His hands were so strong but so soft. She didn't know why she could not stop touching them. She remembered the times he had rubbed her back and the look in his eyes when he finished. She knew she must look like that now. What she was doing was affecting him in the same way he had affected her those times. He was always so guarded with his emotions where she was concerned. He spoke of his feeling long ago in another lifetime on New Earth. The warrior and the queen, were they still them? She looked up at him and saw the expression on his face. Suddenly she realized the power she had. It was exhilarating to know the effect that she had on him as a woman, not as The Captain, just Kathryn, a woman. She took his other hand and continued stroking.

He whispered his question, as he was almost lost in the feelings she was producing. He silently prayed that she would not look anywhere but his face or hands. His body was obviously betraying him once again. "How did you know that Kashyk was going to betray you?"

She couldn't resist herself. She let her fingers trail up the inside of his arm. She controlled the urge she had to bring his hand to her mouth. That would be way out of line. Even though she knew she was pretty damn close to being over that line right now. She moved a little closer and continued rubbing his arms. Keeping the pretense of conversation up she answered him. "I knew when we kissed."

He startled her when he suddenly pulled his arms away from her.

"You knew when you KISSED him."

Kathryn was confused. The mood had quickly turned dark. He was staring at her with deadly intent. She fumbled for words. "Yes, I knew when we kissed that he was lying."

He stood up and walked to the center of the room and began to walk back and forth. A rage was burning in his heart. "When EXACTLY did he kiss you?"

"Before he left to turn himself over to his people." She was speaking very cautiously. His anger was evident but she did not understand what was happening. 

"Is that it? He kissed you once. You were practically locked up together for days on end. Alone I might add and he only kissed you once!"

She got up to move to him. "Yes, that's what I said."

He put his hand up to stop her. "Kathryn stay right where you are and tell me the whole story."

Something in his voice made her obey. "You already know the whole story. We worked on finding the location of the wormhole. Once we found it he pretended to be noble and turned himself over to Prax. I walked with him to his shuttle and before he left he kissed me. That's when I knew it was all a lie."

"But before that you believed him."

"No. I never believed him totally."

He turned and faced her pointedly. He ran his fingers through his hair in effort to calm down. Was she really this naïve or was she guilty and that was what this evening was all about? "Yet you let him kiss you." 

"Yes." She answered still not knowing the point he was trying to make. "Chakotay I am lost here. I am trying to tell you what happened and you are getting madder by the minute. It was no big deal. He kissed me. He left. I knew he was lying. End of story."

He threw his hands in the air and exploded. "No big deal! No big deal! Maybe not to you." He couldn't make her see and he couldn't come out and say 'I love you and it kills me to think that another man kissed you especially since I have not.' "Kathryn I have to leave before I do something that I will regret." He turned and stormed toward the door. He froze when he heard Tuvok's voice.

"Commander Tuvok to Captain Janeway."

Kathryn was stunned. Her face showed a myriad of emotion. He had stripped her of all her defenses and left her standing in total dismay. Hearing her badge chirp she tried desperately to become The Captain again. "Go ahead Tuvok." 

"We are being hailed from a planet that suddenly appeared 1,000 kilometers ahead."

"What do you mean suddenly appeared?"

"Just as I stated. It did not appear on the scans we took and then it did."

"I'm on my way." She watched him leave and knew he was doing the same thing she was going to do, change into a uniform and go to work. Duty called. She frowned and thought just what we needed something else to put distance between us. Before leaving her quarters Captain Janeway yelled to no one in particular, "Can't one day go the way I want it in this blasted quadrant?"

****

Chapter 5

They met in the turbolift and rode to the bridge in silence. The Captain and Commander exited the turbolift onto the bridge. The Captain walked directly to screen as she adjusted the pipes on her collar. Her mind was filled with so many thoughts that it never occurred to her how it looked that she and the Commander had entered together and she was essentially adjusted her clothes. Of course no one would mention it to either of them.

"Report." She listened as she looked at what she thought might be an M-class planet.

Harry Kim spoke first. "As you directed we maintained a continuous scan as we moved away from Devoren space. The scans showed nothing. Then suddenly out of nowhere this planet appeared and we were being hailed."

She looked at Tuvok. "It is possible that the planet was cloaked and thus impervious to our scans."

"Why then would they decloak and hail us?"

Tuvok spoke again. "It is possible that they have scanned us and do not perceive us to be a threat."

Mr. Paris them muttered, "Or with our luck they have scanned us and decided we are no threat and they are going to try to take our ship."

Tuvok responded "Very perceptive Mr. Paris that was my second option."

The Captain returned to her chair trying to give a Chakotay a chance to voice his opinion. "Commander?" They were both tense. It was very difficult to put the scene in her quarters behind them. Though they have had years of practice the emotions today seemed very intense and it was taxing trying to rein them in.

"I think we should answer their hail. Either we respond and get an idea of their intentions or we ignore them and possibly provoke them. Knowing is the better option."

"I agree."

She stood up and walked toward the screen. Chakotay stood up and walked behind her. Even though they were at odds personally he wanted her to know that he was still her first officer and he did support her. He very subtly placed his hand on the small of her back. With renewed strength she said, "Harry open a channel."

"This is Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Starship Voyager. We mean you no harm. We are simply trying to return to our home." How many times had she said that same thing only to be fired upon? They waited. Finally the screen light up with the face of a woman. She was humanoid but not of earth. She was tall about 2 meters. She had long black hair that was drawn into some sort of braid and lay over her shoulder and reached her waist. Her eyes looked almost like a lion. Kathryn thought of Cleopatra when she saw her. She was standing in what appeared to be a garden. There were lush trees and flowers surrounding her. If Tom could describe her he would say she was a cross between a maiden in medieval history and a flower child of 1960. 

"Captain Janeway I greet you in the name of my people, The Karuoush."

"Thank you and I do the same in the name of my crew."

"Forgive my boldness Captain but we do not see many ships come out of the region you left. May I ask your purpose there."

"We are explorers who are trying to return home. We simply passed through there space."

"Unharmed? That is unusual."

"Now if I may be bold. How is it that your planet did not show up on our scans and then it did?"

"Our planet is cloaked to protect us from any enemies. We are an advanced race with superior mental abilities and we have found that our neighbors do not appreciate this talent. If you so desire you may visit our planet and speak more about the technology."

"Thank you for the offer. I will confer with my officers and speak with you in one hour."

"Until then Captain, may you and you crew be filled with peace."

"You have fifteen minutes to gather any information you can then we will meet in the conference room. Tuvok please inform B'Elanna of this." She headed toward the ready room. "Commander you're with me." He dutifully followed.

****

Chapter 6

As soon as they entered the ready room she turned to face him. "What do you think?"

"It is difficult to form any opinions without facts."

She laughed just a little. "Now you sound like Tuvok. Maybe I should have asked what do you feel?" She went to the replicator and ordered a cup of coffee and a cup of tea. They needed to slip into a comfort zone to make decisions about this encounter. The final decision rested on her shoulders but she always valued his opinions. He was very good at reading people. They sat on the couch and sipped their drinks. It was working they were both trying very hard to embrace their roles as captain and commander.

"She seems genuine to me," he began. "I didn't see any tension that would indicate that she was not being honest. Frankly if they have technology to cloak a planet they probably could just take our ship if they wanted to. So it would seem that their intentions may be friendly."

"I feel the same way Chakotay but we have just come out of a very stressful situation." She was trying to tread cautiously but didn't know what to avoid because she still did not understand the root of his anger. She put her coffee down and looked directly at him. "Chakotay I don't know how to have this discussion without upsetting you. From what was said I think the subject of the Devorens will come up and possibly even Kashyk. I need to get your thoughts on these people and their planet but I don't want to repeat the scene we had in my quarters. I realize now that this is a sensitive subject to you but can we promise to deal with it later after we have completed this first contact."

"Kathryn have I ever given you cause to believe that I would not do my duty as a first officer?"

"No, you haven't"

"Then why ask tonight?"

She got up and walked to her desk and put her hand on the back of her neck. This was not turning out to be the night she expected. Her head was pounding and her stomach was churning. "It has been a very strange day. I'm sorry if I insulted you. Perhaps I needed to remind _myself_ that we are the command team when we are not in private." She turned to face him again. He remained seated in the couch. Despite his anger he could see the turmoil in her eyes. He knew her back ached and that her head hurt. Looking at her now he could honestly believe that she did not understand his anger. She was naïve either about his feelings or the effect she had on men. "Chakotay when this is over promise me that can we sit down and sort this out. I don't like the distance between us. I miss the way we were."

He stood up and walked to her. He moved close enough to reach her face. He touched her check softly with his hands. "I miss us too."

Tuvok's voice broke the mood. "Captain we are in the conference room."

She closed her eyes and leaned her head into his hand. It felt warm and reassuring. She opened her eyes, stepped back and put on her command mask. "We're on our way."

****

Chapter 7

When they entered the conference room Tom looked up. He felt a slight change in their moods but all was not right but it was a little better.

After taking her seat she began with Tuvok. "Report."

"Their cloaking device is currently not engaged in any manner. They have allowed us to scan their planet completely. Their defensive systems revolve around the cloak. It not only cloaks the planet but also tracks anyone within 50,000 kilometers of their planet and scans them without anyone knowing that they are being scanned. They have weapons comparable to our photon torpedoes but they have not been powered up in a long time."

"In short if they wanted to take the ship they could have already. Is that right Tuvok?"

"Yes, Captain." 

"Harry"

"The planet is class M. It seems like a virtual paradise. It is lush and filled with vegetation. There are 263 life signs. Buildings that appear primitive on the outside but technologically advanced on the inside. Their knowledge of technology exceeds our so the Prime Directive does not apply. And Captain there are rich deposits of dilithium all over the planet."

That got The Captain's attention as well as B'Elanna.

B'Elanna spoke up. "Captain we could use all the dilithium we could get. Our supply is always short and it is not easy to come by. If there is anyway that we could get our hands on some I think we should."

She looked over at Chakotay. They spoke without saying a wonder. A tiny movement of his eyes told her all she needed to know. "I will hail the planet and see if we can send an away team and negotiate for some dilithium. I don't know what we have that they could want but it is worth a try."

On the bridge Harry hailed the planet.

The same woman appeared on the screen. "Captain Janeway it is good to hear from you again. I neglected to introduce myself I am Curran leader of Karuoush."

"Curran we would like to send an away team down to visit the planet and possible negotiate a trade."

"A trade Captain. What is it you need?"

"Your planet is abundant in the energy source we use for our ship, dilithium. It was our hope that we would have something that you may desire and then we would be able to trade with you for it."

"There is no need for a trade. Send your people down. We will show them where it is and you may take as much as you need. Once your people have experienced our hospitality you yourself may wish to come and visit. It is a beautiful planet."

"Your generosity is greatly appreciated. My people will arrive soon." 

"Commander Chakotay you will lead the team."

"Harry, B'Elanna you are with me. Tuvok send two security guards to transporter room one."

"Acknowledged Commander."

Once the turbolift closed The Captain settled into her chair. All she could do now was wait. Please let this be as easy as it seems. I have had enough surprises this month.

****

Chapter 8  


After spending an hour in the company of Curran Chakotay was convinced that these people were as they seemed. They reminded him of the Betazoids. They were not quite empaths but they were able to read feelings. Strangely they had a very calming effect on him.

Curran had shown him around the village. Everyone seemed to live in harmony. They even talked about the Devorens. As she had alluded to earlier their cloaking device was developed to protect them from the Devorens. They had spent many years being hunted by the paranoid species. Though she did not mention Kashyk by name he got the impression that they were all the same. She also told him that once they had scanned Voyager they knew that there was nothing to fear. It was obvious that they were not a violent race. As they approached the beam out site Chakotay thanked her for all that her people had supplied. B'Elanna had gathered a two-year supply of dilithium. They could have had more but there was no where to store it. The Karuoush had also supplied them with six months of fresh foods and seeds.

"Chakotay please tell you captain to contact me. I believe that there is something she has that I would like."

"I will do that and thank you again Curran."

As he appeared in the transporter room he wondered what it was that she wanted. Was there more to this than he had seen? No, he was sure that she had been sincere in her hospitality. She had even offered shore leave privileges. After what they had just been through the captain did not think shore leave on an alien planet would be comfortable for anyone. He went immediately to the bridge. He knew that the previous members of the away team would have already given her a report. He also knew she would want to hear everything again directly from him and he had to tell her to contact Curran.

When he entered the bridge she turned around expectantly. She smiled as he approached his chair. "Did things really go as well as they seemed?"

"I think so, though there may be one catch."

She looked at him waiting for the bomb to drop. "Just before I left Curran asked me to you have you contact her. She said there was something you had that she would like."

Her back suddenly got stiff. "Was she threatening us?"

"I don't think so. I believe she was referring to your original proposal of a trade."

She relaxed a bit. "Harry hail Curran."

"Captain it is good to see you. I am sorry that you did not make it down to the planet but I understand that running the starship is an arduous task."

Little did she know that I sat here waiting the entire time the away was down there. "Yes, it is. I do thank you for the offer. Commander Chakotay said there was something that you wanted. Do you wish this transaction to be a trade?"

"No, Captain all that we have given you is a gift. What I seek would also be considered a gift."

"What is it you would like."

"I wish to mate with Commander Chakotay."

Captain Janeway was stunned. Her eyes immediately went to her first officer to gauge his reaction. He appeared to be as shocked as she was.

Tom had the good sense not to laugh.

Tuvok raised a single eyebrow and Harry blushed.

"Curran, I am sorry but that is out of the question."

"Why Captain? I understand from what he told me that he is not your mate." The Commander cringed as Curran announced that to the entire bridge staff. "I believe the decision is the Commander's not yours."

Kathryn stood up now. Though she was not tall by any means she knew her demeanor put forth a powerful presence. "I am the Captain of this ship and every decision that is made is ultimately mine!" She knew that that was ridiculous. She could not dictate someone's sex life but Curran did not need to know that. Her vehemence was not lost on Chakotay.

"Perhaps you would allow me the courtesy I allowed you. I will contact you in one hour for your decision. Until then Captain, may you and you crew be filled with peace."

She was seething. She needed to calm down before she talked to anyone. "Commander you have the bridge." She stormed into her ready room.

He wanted to follow her if no other reason than to escape. Instead he sat in his chair and took a series of calming breaths. He struggled to gain his composure. An alien he just met wanted to mate with him. The woman he wanted to mate with just stormed off the bridge. Hours ago he had stormed out of her quarters because the woman he wanted to mate with had kissed an alien they had just met. The irony of the situation did not escape him.

Fifteen passed when the senior officers were called to conference room.

Tom's first thought was that this was going to be a very interesting meeting.

She felt that she was calm enough to hear opinions even though none of them mattered. There was no way in hell that Chakotay was going down to that planet. He would have to kill her first. But she knew that if he said he wanted to go through with this than he would have effectively killed her.

"Opinions."

Everyone was looking down. There was not a person in the room who was willing to broach this subject; no one that is except for Seven.

"I do not see the need for discussion. They have supplied us with two-years worth of dilithium and six-months worth of food and in exchange they require copulation. Though it is clearly an unequal trade on our part it is certainly worth it."

B'Elanna couldn't stop herself. "Seven shut-up!"

"I was merely stating the obvious. They have greatly enriched our supplies and what she wants in return is nothing compared to what she gave."

Chakotay couldn't believe this conversation. He didn't know whether to laugh or be insulted. Before he could speak up Tom spoke.

"Seven humans do not trade sex for things. That is called prostitution. It would make The Commander nothing more than a whore."

"It seems like a very advantageous trade on our part."

The Captain stood up and banged the table. "That's enough! I did not ask for opinions on whether to agree to this, there is no decision there! I wanted opinions on whether we should keep the supplies and leave or is there a way to exit gracefully without insult?"

"Give everything back if they want it. We will find other sources for power." Chakotay looked a B'Elanna and silently thanked her. He knew she wanted that dilithium but she would give it up for him.

"I disagree Captain. Curran specifically labeled it a gift. It was given freely and ours to keep." Those were Tom's feelings on the subject.

Harry wanted no part of this conversation. 

Tuvok spoke. "Perhaps Captain the proper thing to do is explain the role that mating plays in the lives of humans. We do not know much about their culture. It may be to them that mating is a common practice. They may take many mates in their lifetime and do not understand the magnitude of their request from the Commander's stand point."

Chakotay stood up. "I'll do it."

The Captain whirled around and gapped at him. The room was silent. Even Tom was not enjoying this little meeting. The Captain turned back to the staff. "Dismissed." Everyone but Seven and Tuvok ran for the door. Once the room was empty she turned to face him again. 

Chapter 9 

"Are you out of your mind?" She was glaring at him now. 

"Not any more than you are. How could you involve everyone in that discussion? Everyone was talking about me like I am not here. If that is the regard that you have for me than what does it matter if have sex with her?"

"You will not go down to that planet. I will not allow it." She was clenching her fists and would have enjoyed hitting something. Her anger was on the verge of exploding. He was as rigid as she was, angry beyond words. She looked at him and softened a little. "I will not ask you to prostitute yourself for this ship."

"Why not? That is what you did." He spit that sentence out. The minute he did he regretted it. 

Her anger came back with vengeance. "You better explain yourself Commander," she said through gritted teeth.

He had no choice now. "All the time you spent with Kashyk was just foreplay. Then you kissed him to test if he was being honest. That was the prostitution. You were a whore for information. I am becoming a whore for dilithium. The only difference I see is that I am being up front about it."

It began to make sense. She had a small inkling of what really happened at dinner. "Commander I will see you in my quarters in 30 minutes. That's an order!" With that she left the conference room.

Chakotay exited just in time to see Curran's image appear on the screen. He stood near the turbolift doors to listen.

"Curran I am sorry but we cannot provide you with gift you want. If you wish we would return the gifts you have given us. In our culture mating is a very serious issue. Most people choose their mates very carefully it is not a casual thing. Some people mate with only person their entire life. It is not something that is given easily."

"My apologies Captain. I made an error in judgment. I did not understand your culture and have thus caused you and your crew distress. Please accept my humble apologies to you, your crew and especially The Commander. Go in peace Captain Janeway." The screen went blank and the Captain let out a sigh of relief. She did not see Chakotay leave the bridge. She sat down and waited. He had fifteen to be in her quarters. She tried to play the conversation they had had earlier over in her mind. When there was five minutes left she stood up and walked over to Tuvok's station. "Tuvok you have the bridge. Commander Chakotay and I will be in my quarters. We have some things to sort out. I do not want to be disturbed unless we are going to red alert. Understood?"

He knew she had just trusted him with information she would rather have kept private. "Understood, my friend." The Captain smiled.

As hard as he tried Tom could not hear their conversation.

The Captain left the bridge and headed to her quarters. On the way she prepared for the battle that loomed ahead.

****

Chapter 10

She entered her quarters and found him sitting on the couch looking at his hands. Was it just hours ago that she was cleaning his cuts. "Chakotay we need to talk." The anger was no longer in her voice. What he heard was tiredness.

"I know. There are many things I said today that I would like to take back. I did not mean to call you a whore."

She sat down in opposite corner of the couch. "Chakotay I was serious today when I said I was lost. I did not know why you were angry. Finally it began to dawn on me when you were yelling at me in the conference room. Let me tell you what I'm thinking and you can correct me as I go. You don't like the fact that I kissed Kashyk because I had ulterior motives and that some how made me a bad person. Is that right?"

"No."

"No. Then I am more lost than I thought."

"Kathryn when I said I would do what Curran wanted how did you feel?"

She tilted her head back and closed her eyes. Unconsciously she put her hand on her neck and began to rub. This was going to be difficult. "I was angry."

"Why?"

"For a few reasons. I was angry when she announced to the bridge that you told her that I was not your mate."

"I know but it happened much differently than she made it sound. We were walking and she said that I seemed very happy. She is able to feel some of the feelings that the people around her are experiencing. That was when she said she felt that it was due to the love I received from my mate, The Captain. That was when I said that you were not my mate and that was the end of the subject."

"Just the thought of you being with her made me mad. I could not picture myself sitting up here on the ship knowing what you were doing down there." She added very quietly "I thought to myself that I would rather die then let you go down there."

"Why Kathryn why?"

He was going to make her say it. She didn't want this conversation to happen but she knew it had to or they would lose everything they had worked so hard to build. "I was jealous."

He didn't gloat. He didn't even smile. He simply said, "so was I."

She looked up at him with partial understanding.

"Day after day I watched you with him. You spent every waking moment with him. I know you are not mine but the time we used to spend together he had taken. He was eating dinners with you. He was making you laugh. He was flirting with you. And in my mind he was doing much more than that."

"Chakotay, he was lying to me."

"I know that now but I didn't then. To my eyes you were falling in love and it was killing me."

She moved over and took his hands. "Oh, Chakotay I am so sorry. I never knew that you were thinking these things. I knew it was a game from the start. I just assumed that everyone had seen him like I did." She was stoking his hands like she had done hours ago.

"When you told me you had kissed him every ounce of hate I had for him came rushing out. If I could have rung his neck at that moment I would have been satisfied."

He was looking down and couldn't see the smile on her face. My angry warrior she thought. She lovingly ran her thumb up and down his inner arm, hitting all his pulse points. "The kiss was nothing. I felt absolutely nothing." Her one hand left his as she reached for her neck again.

"Kathryn turn around." She looked up and saw the need in his eye. She knew the feeling. It was the way she felt not long ago when she could not stop touching his hands and arms. She did as he asked but first she stood and took of her uniform jacket.

He began to rub her shoulders. He needed her face away from his before he said the next thing. He would not have been able to tell her the entire truth if she was still facing him. He felt her relaxing, the tension leaving her body. He hoped this was as sensuous for her as what she had done to him earlier. "When you told me that you had kissed him I was angry for another reason. It hurt me to think that you could kiss someone you barely knew and yet you would not let me kiss you." There he had said it, the real truth of the matter. He continued working on her back so she could not turn around even if she wanted to. She was silent for a long time but he knew she had heard him.

"It was easy to kiss him because I knew it meant nothing. It is not easy to kiss you because I know it will mean everything." There she said it, the real truth of the matter. 

His hands froze for a second as the realization of her words hit him. Suddenly her not kissing him took on a whole new meaning. He began to move his hands again. This time he went up and down her arms. He was very careful not to touch anything but her arms. He returned to her neck and he heard her moan. The line they had established long ago was beginning to blur. His hands were softly kneading her neck while his short gasping breaths were hitting her skin. This was as close to heaven as the spirits had ever taken him. She reached up and took one on his hands in hers. She began to caress it gently. She loved his hands. They were hands of extreme strength yet utter tenderness. On impulse she brought his hand to her mouth and placed a light kiss on his sore knuckle. He moaned as her lips touched his hand. This was the most sensual experience he had ever had. She continued until she kissed each of his knuckles. His other hand still on her neck, he used it to brush away her hair. He leaned down and kissed the spot on the back of her neck that he had been rubbing. His free hand continued to move through her soft hair. Her hair had always been his undoing. For the second time that night he was glad she could not see his entire body. He had never been this aroused in his life. He continued kissing her neck. She was well over the line that they had established. His lips were sitting her soul on fire. Suddenly her stopped kissing and very slowly he licked the spot on her neck that he had discovered moments ago with his kiss. Every nerve in her body was alive. She moved back to get closer. She felt him pressing against her and knew he felt the same way she did. He was petrified that the condition of his body would frighten her. She surprised him and snuggled back closer to him when his lust became obvious. He wrapped both his arms around her from behind and lifted her up. He slid his legs onto the couch and placed her back down. They were both content to sit in the comfort of each other's arms and linger in the heat of each others rising passions. When she could stand it no more she turned over until she way laying flush on top of him. That little movement was enough to push him closer to the edge. She leaned up and kissed him every so softly on his lips. Their lips barely touched yet he was ready to explode. She traced her fingers across his tattoo and leaned down again but this time his arms grabbed her and crushed her to him. His lips explored hers. Slowly his tongue emerged and he teased her lips. She parted them willing for him. As time stood still they explored each other mouths until neither one could breathe. 

When they parted. She looked at him. "I knew I was right. It is everything, and more." Then she kissed him again completely surrendering herself to her angry warrior.

The End

****


End file.
